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An Android Authority teardown of the second Android 17 QPR3 beta uncovered hidden code for an 'App restore on reboot' feature aimed at Googlebooks. The strings show three settings: always restore previously open apps, never restore them, or ask each time after a restart. A similar feature, called Welcome Recap, already exists on Chromebooks and also shows weather and meeting info.
Android Authority published a list of nine Chromium-based browsers for Android that strip out Google's integrations, including Bare Browser, Brave, Vivaldi and others. The piece highlights options chosen for regular updates, distinct features, longevity, and ease of use, noting most require manual installation outside typical app stores.
A new analysis argues that Chrome's reputation for excessive memory use is largely an internet meme rather than a data-backed fact, comparing it to similarly exaggerated claims about Microsoft Edge being slow. The piece acknowledges Chrome does use RAM as needed, but says this has not been a significant practical problem either in 2016 or in 2026.
A developer built and released a Chrome extension called Overgrown that tracks how long a browser tab sits unviewed and visually overgrows it with plants the longer it's ignored. Once a tab passes 5% overgrowth, users can't click or interact with the page until they drag their mouse to slash away the vines, using a choice of machete, chainsaw or flamethrower. The extension's code and a demo are published in a public repository.
Google announced new Chrome features that warn users when they land on suspicious or dangerous websites, available through the browser's Enhanced Protection mode. The update targets fake antivirus and browser-update scams with a likelihood score, and counters 'ClickFix' attacks by clearing the clipboard and showing a warning when a site tries to trick users into pasting malicious code.
Google is rolling out new Chrome protections under Safe Browsing's Enhanced Protection mode that use a server-side Gemini model to flag deceptive websites and warn users about scam risk. The update also adds detection for ClickFix attacks, where users are tricked into pasting malicious commands into their terminal, and introduces a milder 'suspicious site' warning for pages that show scam-like patterns without meeting the threshold for a full red warning.
Google has updated Chrome to flag websites it deems 'suspicious,' not just those already confirmed as dangerous. The new alerts, powered partly by Gemini AI analysis of a site's content, branding and domain reputation, let users choose to leave the page, mark it safe, or continue browsing. The update also adds protections against fake antivirus update prompts and ClickFix-style social engineering attacks.
A how-to guide explains that fake 'virus detected' full-screen pop-ups are browser hijacks that should never be clicked. It recommends closing the offending tab via the browser's task manager (Shift+Escape), force-quitting the browser through Windows Task Manager if needed, and clearing cookies and notification permissions to stop repeat alerts. It also advises checking browser extensions for unknown or malicious add-ons.
Google is rolling out a new Chrome safety feature that warns users before they visit sites flagged as potentially malicious, available when Enhanced Protection is enabled. The warnings come in two tiers: a dismissible pop-up for 'suspicious' sites with a lower-confidence risk assessment, and a near full-screen red alert for 'dangerous' sites deemed high-risk. Google also upgraded its Gemini-powered scam detection for users with Enhanced Protection turned on.
OpenAI has updated its ChatGPT browser extension with two new modes, Chat and Work, that let the AI read open tabs, compare information across sites, and perform browser actions like downloading files, grouping tabs, and filling out forms using local documents. The update also adds a dedicated ChatGPT tab for chat history, an @Chrome tagging shortcut, and site-specific permission controls, and is free on Chromium-based browsers including Chrome, Edge and Brave.
An extension can read and change everything you do in the browser, including pages you are signed into. That is worth about ninety seconds of checking first.
OpenAI has introduced a feature in its ChatGPT Atlas browser that allows the AI assistant to view the contents of a user's open browser tabs. The capability is designed to let ChatGPT use on-screen context from other tabs to answer questions or complete tasks without the user copying and pasting information manually.